Seatrade-Maritime: LR’s container feeder focus on ‘unsung heroes’ of logistics

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Feeder ships are the “unsung heroes” of supply chains, workhorses that maintain schedules, and wait for cargo to arrive at hub ports, their margins are thinner, but they remain an essential link in the chain.

The importance of reliable feeder connections is rising with the seemingly ever-increasing size of mainline vessels, in that context LR and it partners has sought to optimise feeder ship design for safety, efficiency and economic viability.

That requires a lifecycle assessment, from design to recycling, which LR, Seaspan and Technolog have sought to address.

Larger ships mean fewer port calls, so to maintain schedule discipline feeder networks are responsible for maintaining connections between mainline hubs and smaller ports.

“Independent operators and specialist tonnage providers therefore play an essential role in supporting reliable services across varied routes,” according to LR.

Much of the feeder fleet is ageing, however, meaning that there is an expectation that recycling will increase over the next two years, said LR’s global container ship director Nick Gross.

Vessel owner Seaspan and design consultant Technolog partnered LR in developing a versatile 3,370 teu next generation feeder vessel that can be adapted for new regulations and a variety of trade lanes while still remaining competitive.

Gross told Seatrade Maritime News that the design, “Covers design optimisation, through to the new build execution, and then the operation, and then actually the recycling as well, of the asset.”

Many in the industry consider feeder ship sizes as anything up to 2,000 teu, but in class and analyst circles feeder sizes can go up to 5,000-6,000 teu said Gross. For the optimisation purposes, looking at cargo intake and the fuel efficiency of a feeder the Next Generation model was established as a medium sized feeder vessel.

Optimising for a particular trade is important, although Gross, who previously worked for X-Press Feeders, said that while some trades have ended and others, like the intra-Asia trades, have increased in importance, the core feeder business has not changed all that much.

He pointed out that services to North Europe, Latin America and the Bay of Bengal would not support larger tonnage, because the demand is not there and “because the infrastructure isn’t there,”

That means the restricted size of many feeders limits the space for optimisation of the vessel, because any increase in engine room space will take up all important cargo space, reducing the earning potential of the vessel in a highly competitive market,

As such there is a requirement to, “Model [the design] on the route that the ship is meant to be deployed on, from that you can assess what the resistance is, what the expected consumption would be, and how you could tweak the line of the ship…and make sure any refinements you do make are not going to have a negative impact elsewhere.”

The result of this modelling is the 3,370 teu Next Generation Feeder design, with capacity for 480 reefer units. The vessel is a dual fuel LNG/MGO and ammonia ready ship with a forward located wheelhouse improves visibility and creates additional cargo capacity.

“The design reflects operating conditions common to regional feeder routes,” according to LR, who added, “The aft deckhouse supports compact machinery integration.

A 1 MW battery used for peak shaving and bow-thruster support with added propulsion efficiency from a gate-rudder, and an optional telescopic Flettner rotor sail.

“Power take-off, power take-in and power take-home functions support lower fuel use and reduced maintenance exposure across coastal and variable-load operations,” added LR which has already awarded the design approval in principle.

The fuel arrangement gives the vessel a range of around 5,000nm on MGO or ammonia, and 9,000nm on LNG.

Conversion to ammonia power from LNG is simplified with “defined conversion steps” for the containment system, machinery and piping that means no major reconstruction work is necessary

Ammonia conversion within a relatively short drydocking of around four weeks reduces uncertainty linked to transition timing, lowering the risk of becoming misaligned with developing refuelling supplies.

Furthermore, “Transition-ready configurations remain uncommon in the feeder segment, and the Seaspan–Technolog concept offers early ammonia-prepared tonnage at a scale suited to regional container trades,” commented LR.

Gross noted one of the downsides tailoring a design for particular employment could be that the vessel is not versatile if circumstances change.

“If you’re just designing a ship that’s perfect for transatlantic or the intra-Asia trades, it might become pigeonholed. But that’s not the case. In the modelling, you would obviously take a more macro view as well and employ different sea states and weather conditions.”

Once built and launched the efficiencies can continue, according to Gross, with another project that LR has been involved with, through its 2022 acquisition of OneOcean, now known as LR Digital Solutions, partnered by Regional Container Lines, boosts sustainability and operational efficiency.

Gross said that around 80% of the global container fleet is covered by LR Digital Solutions, which focuses on compliance as well as route and berth optimisation.

According to Gross the Digital Solutions extend the design efficiencies into the operational sphere reducing fuel consumption and offering further cost savings.

“I would say compliance and maintenance is the bread and butter of what Lloyd’s Register classification does. So, from the design to new build to then the operation just making sure that we are working with the vessel operator and owner to ensure that the vessel is properly maintained, and therefore will continue operations for longer,” concluded Gross.